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21 August 2008

Obama's Top Ten Flaws That Will Cost Him in November

Obama's Top Ten Flaws That Will Cost Him in November by John Hawkins 

In an election cycle where Republicans are reviled and the GOP candidate, John McCain, seems to inspire less excitement than a Droopy marathon on the Cartoon Network, it's hard for some people to understand how the race is still close. After all, Barack Obama is drawing record crowds and generating the sort of wild-eyed loyalty from the press that hasn't been seen since Guyana, right before they broke out the Kool-Aid -- and yet, on paper, this race is a coin flip. 

Why is that? Because this race is turning into a referendum on Barack Obama and quite frankly, he has absolutely nothing going for him besides the fact that he's young, good looking, black, and does a great job of reading the speeches his handlers have prepared for him. Once you get beyond those paper-thin qualifications for office, Obama is nothing but a mass of flaws, bad character traits, and left-wing agitprop. While the press lauds Obama as if he just cured cancer and invented a car that runs on lawn clippings in the same day, everyone else can't help but notice... 

The Snobbery: If little girls are made up of sugar, spice, and everything nice, then Obama is made up of arugula, personal presidential seals, and hubris. Never before has a candidate with so few accomplishments to his name looked so far down his nose at the American people. 

The Phony Idealism: Silently, there must be a lot of liberal Democrats kicking themselves today because all during the primaries, the race was portrayed as a battle between Barack Obama, the idealist and Hillary Clinton, the pragmatic, say-anything-to-win candidate. Then, the moment Obama captured the nomination, all of those precious ideals flew out the window and Obama started shifting his positions farther and faster than Hillary Clinton ever did. So much for the candidate who was supposed to be a “new kind of politician.” 

The Anti-White Racism: Obama spent 20 years going to a virulently anti-white, anti-American church while he used Jeremiah Wright -- who's the moral equivalent of David Duke -- as a spiritual mentor and a sounding board. This is not a man who looks kindly upon what he refers to as “typical white people.” 

The Lack of Patriotism: Rather famously, Obama refused to hold his hand over his heart for the national anthem and publicly made a point of not wearing a flag pin -- and then had the “audacity” to complain when people quite naturally questioned his patriotism. Since then, Obama replaced the American flag on his plane with his own symbol and made a point of running down his country and calling himself a “citizen of the world” while he was overseas. Is having a President who loves his own country too much to ask? In Obama's case, apparently so. 

His Liberalism: Although Obama has attempted to shift to the center since he captured the Democratic nomination, his record is one of radical liberalism. In fact, he was ranked as the single most liberal senator in 2007 by National Journal, actually supported a complete ban on handgun sales, and wants to hand out 845 billion dollars to foreign nations as part of an effort to “elimin(ate) extreme poverty.” If you would be thrilled to have a President who is as liberal as Michael Moore or Keith Olbermann, then Barack Obama is your man. 

His Changing Position On The War in Iraq: In one of the most ironic twists of the campaign, Obama beat Hillary Clinton by being so stridently anti-war in Iraq, but his latest ever-shifting position essentially mirrors that of John McCain. Although Obama is still promising a timeline, he is saying he could leave 50,000 troops in Iraq and that the withdrawal is entirely conditions-based.” Although the lefties are biting their tongues, you know they must be seething that they've been sold down the river on their biggest issue -- or maybe they just assume he's lying, which is entirely possible. 

His Inexperience: Obama has never served in the military, the House, or as a governor, was first elected to the Senate in 2004, and his battle with Hillary was the only tough campaign he has ever been in. In other words, if he's elected, he would be one of the least worthy candidates ever to make it to the White House. If we had another 9/11 on his watch or even if one of those infamous 3 AM emergency calls that Hillary campaigned on were to come in, would you rather have Obama or McCain handling it? For that matter, would you rather have Obama or a random person picked out of the phone book handling it? Neither Obama nor the random person from the phone book would have much relevant experience, but at least the random person would probably be humble enough to realize it and ask for help, unlike Obama. 

The Poor Judgment: This is a guy who stayed in a racist church and stuck by a bigoted reverend for 20 years, grotesquely leaked his Western Wall prayer to the press, and blew off a visit to see wounded troops while the whole world was watching him overseas. In other words, even when it comes to matters of mere politics, this is not a man who can be trusted to make wise decisions. So, how can we trust him to make good policy decisions for the country? 

He's Gaffe Prone: When John McCain makes mistakes, the media tries to portray him as senile. But Obama makes dumber mistakes than George Bush, more mistakes than Dan Quayle, and that's despite the fact that he spends far less time talking to the press than McCain. So, what's his excuse for thinking that we have more than 57 states, claiming America's “fallen heroes” were in the audience listening to him, and his claim that 10,000 people died' in the Kansas tornadoes when the death toll was really only 12?” Dan Quayle’s notorious potato(e) error, which was used to forever portray him as a drooling moron, wouldn’t even qualify as one of Obama’s top five mistakes. 

His Fuzzy Platform: Obama's positions on guns, the war in Iraq, taxes, FISA, and public financing, among other issues, have shifted faster than a cheetah chasing a greyhound through an obstacle course. Since he doesn't have much of a record to go on, seems to have very poor judgment, and he doesn't have a solid platform to stand on, how are people supposed to know what he will do when he gets in the White House? 

article courtesy of townhall.com 

17 August 2008

Hurricane Season Preparations

this from an email i received when i first moved here 3 years ago, thought i would share in light of the upcoming hurricane........... it's quite a long read, but if you can finish it WITHOUT laughing, i think it might be a good time to check your pulse! 


To: ex-Floridians, present Floridians, and future Floridians, or just someone who knows a Floridian. 

We've officially entered hurricane season. Already, you can turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Gulf of Mexico and making two basic meteorological points: 

(1) There is no need to panic. 
(2) We could all be killed. 

Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to be in Florida. If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one.'' Based on our experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan: 

STEP 1 - Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days. 
STEP 2 - Put these supplies into your car. 
STEP 3 - Drive to Iowa and remain there until Thanksgiving. 

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this very sensible plan. Most people will foolishly stay here in Florida. We'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items: 

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements: 

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and 
(2) It is located in Iowa. 

Unfortunately, if your home is located in Florida, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place. 

So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss. Since Hurricane Andrew, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies. This week, I'm covered by the Bob and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bob and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys. 

SHUTTERS: Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the doors, and -- if it's a major hurricane -- all the toilets. There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages: 

(a) Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap. The disadvantage is that, because you make them yourself, they will fall off. 

(b) Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will already be December. 

(c) Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them. 

"HURRICANE PROOF" WINDOWS: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Iowa. 

"HURRICANE PROOFING" YOUR PROPERTY: As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc.; you should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles. 

EVACUATION ROUTE: If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out (to determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says "Florida," you live in a low-lying area). The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with 200,000+ other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you won't be lonely. 

HURRICANE SUPPLIES: If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! Florida tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the nearest Wal-Mart and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of SPAM. In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies: 

(a) At least 23 flashlights. At least $167 worth of batteries that as it turns out, when the power goes out, to be the wrong size for the flashlights. 

(b) Bleach. Now, I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for. But it's traditional, so GO GET SOME! 

(c) A 55-gallon drum of underarm deodorant. 

(d) A big knife that you can strap to your leg. This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool and will scare a lot of other Wal-Mart shoppers in case of a battle for the last can of SPAM. 

(e) A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. Ask anybody who went through Andrew - after the hurricane, there WILL be irate alligators. 

(f) About $35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth. 

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers standing right next to the ocean telling everyone over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean. 

Good luck and remember: it's great living in paradise! Those of you who aren't here yet, you should come. Really! 

P.S. They tell me that this is also the best time to rent cheap condos.

12 August 2008

40 Reasons to Ban Guns

(first, i got this from the Beretta Forum, a great group of guys there..... second, if you don't speak "sarcasm," you might need a translator for this one!) 

1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, & Chicago cops need guns. 

2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control. 

3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder rates after gun control are "just statistics." 

4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991. 

5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid. 

6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals. 

7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot with a .357 Magnum will get angry and kill you. 

8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet. 

9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense - give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981, p. 125). 

10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns & Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery. 


11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seat belts, a civil engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer programmer for hard drive problems, and Sarah Brady for firearms expertise. 

12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917. 

13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a "state" militia. 

14. These phrases: "right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in their homes," "enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people," and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states respectively, and to the people" all refer to individuals, but "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" refers to the state. 

15. "The Constitution is strong and will never change." But we should ban and seize all guns thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to that Constitution. 

16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense! Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them. 

17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they aren't "military weapons'', but private citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles'', because they are military weapons. 

18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, fingerprinting, government forms, etc., guns today are too readily available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's, anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations, variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school shootings. 

19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, but the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity. 

20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy. 

21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20. 

22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is "an accident waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears." 

23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal when the weapon is removed. 

24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows. 

25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves. 

26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a "weapon of mass destruction" or an "assault weapon." 

27. Most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will abide by because they can be trusted. 

28. The right of Internet pornographers to exist cannot be questioned because it is constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use of handguns for self defense is not really protected by the Bill of Rights. 

29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but self- defense only justifies bare hands. 

30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution. 

31. Charlton Heston, a movie actor as president of the NRA is a cheap lunatic who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas, a movie actor as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit. 

32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger capacity pistol magazines than do "civilians" who must face criminals alone and therefore need less ammunition. 

33. We should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns because it's not fair that poor people have access to guns too. 

34. Police officers have some special Jedi-like mastery over handguns that private citizens can never hope to obtain. 

35. Private citizens don't need a gun for self- protection because the police are there to protect them even though the Supreme Court says the police are not responsible for their protection. 

36. Citizens don't need to carry a gun for personal protection but police chiefs, who are desk-bound administrators who work in a building filled with cops, need a gun. 

37. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people. The police need assault weapons. You do not. 

38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential promotion, that's bad; but when the Federal government pressures cities to buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that's good. 

39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for defensive purposes, which is why you see police officers with one on their duty weapon. 

40. Handgun Control, Inc. says they want to "keep guns out of the wrong hands." Guess what? You have the wrong hands. 

Why I'm Voting DEMOCRAT This Year.......

I’m voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.
                      
I’m voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.


I’m voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.


I’m voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.


I’m voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.


I’m voting Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit.  


I’m voting Democrat because I believe three or four pointy headed elitist liberals need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would NEVER get their agendas past the voters.  


I’m voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists don't have to hide from us over there, when they come over here I don't want to have any guns in the house to fight them off with.


I’m voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want.  I've decided to marry my horse.


I’m voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.


Makes ya wonder why anyone would  EVER vote Republican, now doesn't it?  

13 August 2007

Orlando Business Journal - Eye Candy Rebirth

After moving to Florida to continue working with custom vehicles, I found Eye Candy Customs. Once a top-dog in the industry, the owner's son had turned the company from king to crap with his lack of attention, poor attitude, arrogance, and other bad habits I won't go into detail online. I tried my best to turn the company around, with such innovative tactics as to sponsor a young Marine before returning home from Iraq, a la "Pimp My Ride," and creating a foundation for an online storefront.



You can only do so much with so little, and ended up leaving the company shortly after due to frustration with the owner's son having no concern for wasting nearly $17,000 a month in unnecessary overhead costs and blaming me for issues that other, failed managers had caused. You live and learn, and move on to the next opportunity!